The prior art comprises solutions such as cylinders, telescopic cylinders, rack-and-pinion devices, threaded poles, manipulators, scissor-actuated lifts, coiled pipes, or combinations thereof.
From U.S. Pat. No. 6,283,203 is known a device for drilling oil wells. This device comprises two rack-and-pinion elements having an H-profile in a guide that among other things raises and lowers a pipe in a drilling tower.
From SE 459 267 is known an elongated cylindrical sleeve comprised of two flexible, semi-cylindrical bands that are wound on spools, and sequentially joined together to form the sleeve. This sleeve however does not form a rigid cylindrical pipe of sufficient structural integrity to be used in industrial settings.